57139 Investigating Professional Communication

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Public Communication
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Requisite(s): 57022 Managing Communication AND 57028 Research for Communication Professionals

Handbook description

This subject allows students to pursue further studies in their area of professional and or scholarly interest in the field of communication management. Students further develop their critical and analytical skills in communication management appropriate to working in consultancy and advanced management roles, extend and deepen their conceptual understandings of communication management, and develop competencies in research and theory building.

Students undertake a piece of independent research, submitted as a journal article and presented at a student research conference.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On completion of this subject, students are expected to be able to:

demonstrate a range of practical experience in public relations and communication management
demonstrate understanding of theoretical concepts and professional practices relevant to their
design and conduct a research project in the field of communication management in an area of their professional and/or scholarly interest in a scholarly manner
demonstrate competence in preparing a comprehensive and scholarly report of the research undertaken which contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of communication management and/or professional practice.

Contribution to graduate profile

A good understanding of the nature of communication and communication management through a broad range of theories and paradigms
A sensitivity to ethical and legal issues related to communication
An understanding of organisational culture and climate factors and the ability to diagnose communication problems and engage in change management
The ability to choose and use appropriate research methods for communication professionals
The capacity to be international in perspective
An understanding of communication management in local and international contexts
Competency in analysing research data and designing and evaluating research proposals for problem solving.

Teaching and learning strategies

While the teaching strategies used in this subject will include seminars, group and class discussion and individual consultation, the basic aim is to develop a "community of practice". Interaction between students, both within and outside formal class sessions, and between students and their lecturer/supervisor will be strongly encouraged. Students are expected to be interested in and to contribute to each other's endeavours in a supportive yet challenging way, with the ultimate goal that each student successfully develops and completes a high quality project.

Workshops will focus on relevant communication research design and methodologies. Individual consultation will provide students with advice and feedback on controlling and developing their research projects.

Content

Students undertake a research project about an aspect of communication management theory or practice. They participate in an initial one day briefing covering industry/contextual issues, project management, advanced research techniques, and research writing. Three work in progress workshops will be scheduled during the semester, as well as an end of semester mini conference for the presentation of results. Additional content areas are a matter for discussion and negotiation between the student and the subject coordinator.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Seminar Presentations

Objectives	a, b
Value	15%
Due	as scheduled
Task	Students will be required to present their work in progress for critical analysis as scheduled throughout the semester. The seminar will also present a contextualisation of the proposed project/ internship in line with current research and practice in industry.
Assessment criteria	Students will be assessed on the following: demonstrated ability to be reflective and critical about their work processes understanding of theoretical ideas and professional practice relevant to their projects understanding of the contemporary context of professional practice. demonstrated ability to creatively locate innovative opportunity for research and observation in fieldwork.

Assessment item 2: Journal Article

Objectives	b, c
Value	70%
Due	Week 14, assignment box and email
Task	Students will produce a 3500-5000 word report of their research in a format acceptable to be forwarded to a peer reviewed journal for publication review. The research undertaken for the project must relate to the field of communication management and would normally have application in a vocational setting. The project may be qualitative or quantitative in nature, and there is no requirement for the research to be empirical. The opportunity exists for descriptive and historical projects and for projects that develop detailed plans of action to address communication management problems. The project must be within the student's capability and timeframe to complete. The project topic must be approved by the subject coordinator. Students can seek advice on data analysis techniques, but they must not pay, employ or use any other person to collect, enter or analyse their data unless there are methodological, ethical, or other compelling reasons to do so.
Assessment criteria	Students will be assessed on the following: overall, the ability to design a complete project that contributes t the body of knowledge within communication management and lies within their scope ability to identify and clarify a research 'problem' relevant to communication management ability to locate, review, conceptually integrate and critique the relevant literature formulation of specific research questions selection of appropriate research methodology/methodologies identification of appropriate data analysis strategies logical organisation of the proposal and report estimate a realistic timeframe for the research and carry it out report on and discuss the results of the research demonstrated ability to creatively locate innovative opportunity for research and observation demonstrated ability to conceptualise and carry out the proposed project independently demonstrated ability to engage in research reasoning, providing useful and appropriate contributions to advanced knowledge and scholarship clear and succinct writing, free from typographical errors, appropriate scholarly referencing. appropriate scholarly referencing.

Assessment item 3: Presentation of results at student mini conference

Objectives	c
Value	15%
Due	Week 14
Task	Students will present the results of their work in a 15-20 minute conference style presentation.
Assessment criteria	Students will be assessed on the following: sequencing of issues, logical structure good delivery – rehearsed and timed, delivered extemporaneously ability to engage the audience's interest use of visual support to enhance presentation effectiveness.

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. You are expected to initiate, attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in all scheduled meetings or classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Indicative references

Readings and references will be specific to your own area of research interest and the topic of your choice. The following are some general references on communication research and methodologies.

Boje, D. 2001, Narrative Methods for Organizational and Communication Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Brown, S. Durning, D. & Selden, S. 1999, 'Q methodology', in G. Miller & M. Whicker (eds), Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 599-637.

Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (eds) 2000, Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd edn, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

de Vans, D. 1995, Surveys in Social Research, 4th edn, Allen and Unwin, Singapore.

Ely, M. 1997, Doing Qualitative Research: Circles within Circles, The Palmer Press, London.

Frey, L. Botan, C. & Kreps, G. 2000, Investigating Communication: An introduction to Research Methods, 2nd edn, Allyn & Bacon, Boston.

Hart, C. 1998, Doing a Literature Review, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Herndon, S. & Kreps, G. 2001, Qualitative Research: Applications to Organisational Life, Hampton Press, New Jersey.

Howitt, D. & Cramer, D. 2005, Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology, Pearson, New York.

Littlejohn S. & Foss, K. 2008, Theories of Human Communication, 9th edn, Thomson-Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.

Malhotra, N. Hall, J. Shaw, M. & Oppenheim, P. 2002, Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation, 2nd edn, Prentice Hall, Australia.

Mann, C. & Stewart, F. 2002, Internet Communication and Qualitative Research: A Handbook for Researching Online, Sage Publications,, London.

Marshall, C. 2006, Designing Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Mickey, T. 2004, Deconstructing Public Relations: Public Relations Criticism, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillside, NJ.

Neuman, W. 2006, Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Pearson, New York.

Page, C. & Meyer, D. 2000, Applied Research Design for Business and Management, McGraw-Hill, Australia.

Reinard, J. 1998, Introduction to Communication Research, 2nd edn, McGraw Hill, Boston, MA.

Richards, L. 2005, Handling Qualitative Data: A Practical Guide, Sage, London.

Rubin, R. Rubin, A. & Piele, L. 1996, Communication Research: Strategies and Sources, 4th edn, Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.

Sproull, N. 1995, Handbook of Research Methods, 2nd edn, Scarecrow Press, London.

Stacks, D. 2002, Primer of Public Relations Research, The Guilford Press, New York.

Williams, F. & Monge, P. 2001, Reasoning With Statistics: How to Read Quantitative Research, Harcout Inc. FL.

Wimmer, R. 2006, Mass Media Research: An Introduction, Thomson-Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.

Yin, R. 2003, Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Yin, R. 2003, Applications of Case Study Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Journals
Advertising Research
Communication Theory
Communication Yearbook
International Public Relations Review
Journal of Advertising
Journal of Communication
Human Communication Research
Journal of Public Relations Research
Public Relations Quarterly
Public Relations Review
Total Communication Measurement